Hello! From The Edge of the World
by Brogramn
Summary: The Law of the Sandiame is broken, and Naruto's secret is outed. What can one do? An old man named Ren speaks of a holy place which can grant wishes. Naruto and his eleven friends start a pilgrimage to the Edge of the World.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

Upon this story's release, I will have written the bulk of it before even posting it. Still, don't expect updates on a regular basis, as my Fall Semester will eat up a lot of my time. Either way, I'll try in-between to answer any reviews and questions I get. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this story.

* * *

**Hello! From the Edge of the World.**

**Introduction: A Law Is Broken**

* * *

One Haruno Sakura walked herself down one of the many conspicuous halls that made up the tower that was the Hokage's Offices. At age 15, the young woman had grown to be quite the opposite of her former bratty self. Of course, being an apprentice of the legendary Tsunade would do that to anyone, regardless of attitude. 

No longer adorned in red and pink, the kunoichi took on an entirely darker color pallet. Her outfit consisted of combat boots, shorts, and a short-sleeve shirt. While the the vest was a blood red, the short and boots were pitch black. Her body had developed though both nature and the intense training her teacher put her through. Long, shapely legs, a trim stomach, and even assets that impressed the busty sanin.

As she reached the end of the hall, she noticed two of her friends hanging outside the doorway.

Yamanaka Ino was considered the most beautiful of the kunoichi with made up the Konoha Twelve by many shinobi in the village. Ino had grown very curvy, and showed it in her royal purple outfit, which was cut at mid-rift as usual. She had grown to wear purple hose with a skirt layed over it. Her blond hair was always clean and sparkling in the sunlight, and was tied into a ponytail that ran down to the small of the back.

In contrast, Rock Lee was not on everyone's "to do" list. The main factor of this was his face. Lee, ever idolizing the great taijitsu master Maito Gai, had groomed himself to look the spitting image of his former sensei. Where Gai had some deposits of fat and such here and there on his healthy body, Lee appeared to be chiseled from granite. During his last physical, he was recorded at having only 3 percent body fat. Many shinobi saw Lee as the young man who achieved his dream: to surpass his sensei, and show the world the benefits of hard work.

"Hello Ino, Lee-kun," spoke Sakura, as she slowed herself down after reaching her destination.  
"Hello Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Lee, in his usual boastful and booming voice.  
"Any idea what this meeting is about Sakura?" asked Ino.  
"Not a clue," shrugged Sakura. "I'm supposed to just stay out here by the door and do a head count for Tsunade-sishou.""Well, I guess we'll both kill time in the meeting room," said Ino.  
"But I wanted to help Sakura-chan!" complained Lee.  
"Don't be a prude Lee," said Ino, motioning at the door. After a defeated sigh, Lee followed Ino inside the room, closing the door behind them.

Sakura leaned her body against the sturdy wall, and found she didn't have to wait long for the others to show up.

First to show up were the Hyuga siblings: Neji and Hinata. Neji had long since forgone his old, bulky white combat vest, and instead wore a loose-fitting white gi with ninja chainmail underneath. The sleeves were exceptionally wide; Neji said that they aided in confusing the enemy, as well as concealing weapons. Long, black cotton pants with white boots finished off the simple ensemble.

Hinata however, was a complete overhaul of her youth. Having grown into a beautiful young woman, Hinata had grown much more confidant and proud of herself. She still wore a fur coat, but it was much smaller and only reached her waist. It was left open as well, and she wore a dark blue shirt which was cut as mid-rift underneath. She also wore dark blue spandex pants, which was quite capable of showing off her attractive body. Still, no one dared to even go near her, lest they wished to be numb for a weeks due to a tenketsu assault.

"Hello Neji, Hinata," greeted Sakura.  
"Hello Sakura," said Hinata, in a sweet tone of voice.

Neji chose to remain silent, but bowed to Sakura before opening the door for both Hinata and himself. He then closed it firmly behind him.

* * *

The next pair Sakura saw was Kiba and Shino... 

Kiba Inuzuka was a young man, but his clan's heritage combined had given the young man a large amount of hair to deal with. While his hair was managed with a flattop haircut every now and then, his facial hair was slowly getting to be incredible. His face had a short, yet bushy mustache atop his lip, but that was only for the moment. Kiba, unlike many of his peers, had chosen to wear most of the standard Chunin equipment provided by the village. Aside from the vest, pants, and boots, Kiba also wore a long-sleeve black shirt. His hands were hairy atop, but thankfully his palms were used enough that hair couldn't grow there.

Shino was the least changed, as far as the Konoha Twelve was concerned. The only noticeable difference was that the Aburame prodigy had chosen to wear a large-hooded jacket. Shino's hands were in two of the jackets many zippered pockets. His trademark glasses reflected the little light that managed to enter the hooded dome that surrounded Shino's head. Another discernible feature was that Shino wore combat shorts, instead of pants. An insect could occasionally be seen crawling about his legs.

* * *

Next came Shikamaru and Chouji. 

Chouji, for the moment, had recently exhausted his chakra supply during a strenuous mission with his team. As such, the Akamichi boy was slim and trim for the moment, until at least his next eating binge. His arms were still wrapped in tape, and Chouji was still wearing his green vest over his favorite T-shirt. He had forgone shorts for cargo pants, which were brown in color. His mohawk hair was now longer, and Chouji brushed it down to cover his ears and a bit of his face.

Shikamaru was dirty-looking, and his clothes looked a bit tattered and worn. Knowing the lazy genius, the Nara man probably kept the same clothes on until he was forced to change them by circumstance. He was wearing his green Chunin vest, along with a gray undershirt and chainmail mesh underneath that. He wore black slacks, with his hate-ate worn as a belt. Shikamaru still had a spiked ponytail, but also had a few bangs of hair which covered his forehead and one of his eyes.

"Sakura?" questioned Shikamaru, after finally noticed the pink-haired shinobi guarding the door.  
"That's my name," she replied, a small smile on her face.  
"What's going on with you and that door?"  
"Tsunade's orders, I'm supposed to do a head count, and make sure you all show up."  
"Whatever," said Shikamaru with a shrug. With that 'colorful' exchange the two boys let themselves inside the office with the others.

* * *

The last two to show up were two complete opposites of each other. They were Uchiha Saskue and the kunoichi only known as Tenten. 

Sasuke was used to dark, cold colors in his ensemble. They reflected his heart in the past: one of darkness and a thirst for vengeance. However, with the sudden destruction of Akasuki and the hated Uchiha Atachi, Sasuke had lost his darkness, and his thirst quickly dried up.

This however, didn't change the boy in a dramatic way. He was still reserved for the most part. Sasuke was a no-nonsense kind of person, regardless of his goals and ambitions. His new attire reflected this: a decent man who prefers to be up-front with everything. Sasuke was wearing a black hakama robe, which was tied down with a large red and white obi. He also chose sitabaki with his clan insignia imprinted on each knee. Black kung-fu shoes finished off his look.

Tenten was known as the weapon-master of the Twelve. As such, she complimented her lithe and curvy frame with several weapons. On her back were two katana, which she crafted with her own hands. She had affectionately named them Shame and Blame, after she used them to dispatch a particularly despicable shinobi while on a mission. She wore a white vest, which had notches sewn into it to hold various shuriken. She used a pair of nunchaku for a make-shit belt, which were made of walnut and painted black. She bore black pants, which were surprisingly bare of any weapons. Her shoes however, were fitted with blades. One was protruding from the top, and was wave-shaped. Two were were placed on the front of each side of the shoes, and were also waved-shaped. There was one large blade attached to the heel of the shoe as well.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, Tenten," said Sakura.  
"Hi Sakura," said Tenten cheerfully.  
"Hello," spoke Sasuke softly.

There wasn't much conversation left as the two made their way inside. With everyone showing up, Sakura let herself inside the office and waited with the others.

* * *

Tsunade entered the occupied room a short while afterwards. There were twelve chairs set out on the floor. Right above the entrance, there was a screen used for projections and planning. The eleven ninja in the room immediately went silent for their leader, who made her way to the front of the room, facing everyone. 

"I'm glad everyone made it here," said Tsunade. At that remark, her apprentice raised her hand.  
"Yes Sakura?"  
"Tsunade-sishou, you said we're all here, but there seems to be one missing."  
"I know that Sakura, but he should show up in a few moments."

Like clockwork, the door behind them opened, which a rather deep, but still indignant voice.

"Tsunade-ba-chan, what's with asking me to show up my first day off in three years?!"

Everyone's gaze turned to the last of the Konoha Twelve, Uzumaki Naruto. They had heard of him returning to the village about a day ago. They certainly were surprised by the 'kuncklehead ninja' and his new look...

The most noticeable feature was the fact there was hardly any orange to be found on Naruto's outfit. His hate-ate wasn't in blue anymore, but a black form of the headband. His spiky sunflower hair was still short and it seemed even spiker if that was possible. Naruto had also stopped wearing thick, and bulky jumpsuits. His chest was covered by a simple orange t-shirt. Around his neck was the shining green crystal given to him by Tsunade. His right shoulder had a black mantle on it, which held up a black cape which covered his right side.

It was used so that Naruto could conceal a weapon he found he liked using: a kusari-gami. It seemed to fit his wild and unpredictable style of combat, and when he manged to save up, he asked Tenten to forge one he could call his own. He called his new toy 'Spiral Hell'.

Black cargo pants and shoes were on his lower half. Naruto also wore some shin guards. They were metal, and at the top of them - which reached the bottom of his knee – was a spike he could use to get a nasty knee-blow on his enemies.

While the others were still taking in the sight of a changed Naruto, Tsunade just smiled at her 'grandson' as he was still the loudmouth she believed in so long ago.

"Sorry to call you in this morning Naruto," said Tsunade, "but I needed to call a meeting today. And you, Naruto, are the guest of honor."  
Naruto wasn't sure how to take that remark. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You'll find out soon enough," said Tsunade. The Hokage then picked up one of the remaining chairs, and planted it right in front of her, with the seat facing the others.

"Take a seat Naruto, if you would," she asked Naruto, though everyone knew it was an order rather than a request. Naruto walked to the front of the room and sat down promptly.  
"Ino, could you come up here please?" 'asked' Tsunade. The Yamanaka quickly obeyed, standing right in front of the Hokage.

"I understand you've been learning a lot more of your clan's advanced techniques," remarked Tsunade.  
"Yes 'mam," nodded Ino. "But what does that have to do with anything?"  
"I want you to use your family's Mind Projection on Naruto," Tsunade said. At this, both Ino and Naruto's eyes widened.

"What the hell Tsunade-ba-chan?!" exclaimed Naruto. Tsunade went behind Naruto, and clasped down on his shoulders to keep him in the chair.

"Everyone, I've gathered you here for one reason," announced Tsunade. "As you know, there are many laws that we uphold in this village. However, there is one law that has been kept from you, our latest generation of shinobi. You are not ordinary shinobi however; on the contrary, you twelve before me today are some of the most promising ninja our village has ever created. For this reason, and for the good of the village, I'm taking a drastic measure as Hokage, even though it is well within my rights. Today, in front of you all, I will break what is known in the village as 'The Law of Naruto.'"

Everyone looked to the Hokage in a combination of shock and confusion. Everyone but Naruto, who looked up to Tsunade's eyes, with a look of horror that none of the other eleven had even seen before.

"Tsunade-sama," spoke Naruto, shaky and trying to persuade his 'grandmother,' "please, don't do this to me!" Everyone was shocked to see the loudmouth shinobi pleading and begging.

The woman looked into the young man's eyes. There was no cruelty or evil behind her smile.

"Naruto," she spoke in a soothing voice, getting close to his face. "Please, I want to trust me on this. I've thought this over, and I know things will be alright."

Naruto seemed to calm down a bit at these words. However, he was still sweating the situation he now found himself in. Tsunade nodded to Ino, and the blond approached the Uzumaki.

Ino got to Naruto's eye level, and put her face right in front of his, their noses touching momentarily. Naruto started to show a tint of red, and the gossip Ino caught on to this quickly.

"What's wrong Naruto, never had a girl this close to you?" she teased, which seemed to get the boy even more bothered. "Relax, I'm just synchronizing our breathing and heartbeats."

After a few minutes, Ino stood up, and walked behind Naruto. Tsunade walked to the opposite end of the room, and pulled down the projection screen. Ino slowly went through a series of kata, as she concentrated on keeping the rhythm. When she finished, Ino clasped onto Naruto's temples with her fingertips.

"Mind Projection," spoke Ino, and chakra could be seen by the others flowing into Naruto. At first, Naruto appeared to be uncomfortable, like he was having a stomach ache. After a minute though, his body relaxed, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.

"Okay, I'm in," spoke Ino. "Now what exactly am I looking for?"  
"Ask this exact question," instructed Tsunade. "Naruto, why does the village hate you?"  
Ino nodded, and repeated the command. "Naruto, why does the village hate you?"

Nothing noticeable happened for a few minutes. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes shot open. He appeared to be in a trance, and light began to shine out of his eyes, towards the projection screen.

"Tsunade-sishou," said Sakura, "how is this possible? Light is coming out of Naruto's eyes."  
"Well Sakura, surely you know how the human eye works?" Tsunade questioned her apprentice. "Light enters the eye, and collides with the various rods and cones that are located on the retina. Ino's technique dives into a person's memory, and then reverses the flow of light. The images and sounds that were experienced by that person are then displayed."

"And the question?" asked Sakura.  
"That is used as a sort of hypnotic command. Ino gives a suggestion to the person, so that she can access the memories associated with that suggestion."

* * *

While Sakura would have loved to know more about this subject, their conversation was cut as images started to appear on the screen. Apparently, the technique Ino was using was also capable of providing the sounds Naruto heard with each memory. It was almost like watching a home movie in this respect. 

The images were in first-person: no doubt that person being Naruto.

The first memory was Naruto starting into the ground. The 'camera' would shake every few seconds, and sounds of pain and anguish could be heard with each rattle. The view changed to a view looking up at a few teenage boys and girls.

"Had enough, demon?" taunted one of the boys, before kicking Naruto in the gut.  
"Why don't you do us a favor and die already!" asked one of the girls, before spitting on Naruto's face.

After another swift kick to the side of his head, the thugs decided to leave Naruto alone.

Naruto groaned in pain, and could only crawl on his hands and knees. His head shot up to see what appeared to be Tenten at an early age with her father. She gave a concerned smile, but was quickly caught in the vice grip of her father.

"Tenten, I forbid you to even look at that boy!" lectured Tenten's father. With that the two left the image.

Later on, a young Ino and Sakura could be seen. They appeared to be playing catch with a red ball.

They looked at Naruto, and a snide grin appeared on Ino's face.

"Hey Sakura, wanna play a new game?" asked Ino.  
"What kind of game?" said Sakura.  
"Its one my father taught me," answered Ino. "You see that boy? You kick him and see how loud you can make him scream."  
"Ok," said Sakura, though a bit hesitantly. She didn't want to be ousted by her only friend.

The two approached an already wounded Naruto and kicked him in his tender gut. They kept at it until their tiny legs were exhausted.

* * *

The screen went black, and then faded into another memory. It was nighttime, and Naruto was on the ground again. He was screaming a crying very loudly this time. 

"That hurts!" said Naruto. "You're going to rip my hair out! Stop please!"

His pleading for mercy fell on deaf ears. Eventually Naruto was tossed by his hair into the center of a circle of villagers. They all were carrying some sort of weapon. Some looked angry, while others had a sadistic smile on their face. The screen was getting blurry, and the others knew this meant that Naruto was crying.

The situation looked grim until a puff of smoke materialized the Sandaime. He had a grim look on his face.

"Hokage-sama," spoke the villagers, in a more than humbled tone.

"I see now that I can't just stand idly by and hope anymore," he spoke solemnly. He was very disappointed in his village at the moment.

The Sandaime slowly approached the boy, who instinctively flinched, waiting for the oncoming blow.

What he found that he was wrapped in the man's arms. Naruto was held close, and could hear the heartbeat of the Hokage. It was relaxing, and he suddenly found himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The next scene was a chat with Jiraiya, who the other's knew had taken Naruto under his tutelage. Jiraiya was sipping on a cup of sake while he listened to his student. 

"So," said Jiraiya, "now you know kid."  
"About this demon inside me?" asked Naruto. The Sanin nodded.  
"Its important for you to understand your situation. Now that you're older, you're going to have to learn to either control or withstand Kyuubi's influence on you.""Why me?" asked Naruto, as he looked down to his seal. "Why would the Yondaime do this to me? Does he realize what I've been put through because of him!?"

"Believe me kid," said Jiraiya. "you may not like him for it, you may even hate him for it, but the Yondaime is paying the ultimate price. The Death-Reaper Seal not only takes the soul of the target, but the user. And these souls will fight for eternity inside the Reaper. An un-living hell for anyone who dares use the seal. And yet knowing this, the Yondaime did the seal to save the village he so loved."

"And for this, I'm supposed to be punished? Why don't they see that I had no choice in the matter?"  
"I'm sure they don't care kid. You see, they feel its your fault the Yondaime is dead. That's how twisted their hatred of the Kyuubi has become. And even though the Sandaime proclaimed a law forbidding anyone to speak of the incident, they will still find ways to express their hatred."

"And their children?"  
"That how childhood works. A child emulates and idolizes their parents. They try to be just like them, and do whatever they think will make them happy. And they will keep doing this until the time where they can make their own decisions. Hence, the villagers try to teach the other kids to hate you unconditionally."

It was at this that the show slowly faded to black. The only thing that could have accentuated the end of the memories would be 'The End' in bold white letters.

* * *

A minute later, the other's turned to see Naruto. His eyes had become red; not from keeping his eyes open for so long, but he had started to cry during the presentation. Ino as well, had long tear streaks running down her face. The two snapped out of their trance simultaneously, and looked to see the faces of their peers. Ino thought they appeared to be debating what they just saw to themselves. 

Naruto however, had assumed the worst. To him, the looks on the other's faces showed that they had grown – or perhaps – refreshed their hatred of the Uzumaki. Naruto slowly made it to his feet, his head kept down at the floor. He made his way out, slowly opened the door, and barely closed it behind him, a faint clicking noise announcing that he was gone.

"I hope you realize why I chose to do this," spoke up Tsunade, getting the attention of the group back to the point. "You twelve are some of the most promising shinobi this village has ever produced. As such, you should know the deepest, darkest secret of your generation. I hope that by doing this, the bond's between you all will strengthen, as you will most likely be on many missions with everyone in this room. You are all dismissed for the day, now go."

Once everyone had shuffled out of the office, Sakura went on her merry way, only to be stopped almost instantly by Ino.

"Can we talk?" she asked the Haruno.  
Sakura simply nodded. "Lets go get some coffee," she suggested, to which Ino agreed.

* * *

A short walk later, the two found themselves sitting down in a booth at one of the local cafés. The two had made their orders short: Ino chose coffee and a cake set, and Sakura coffee with some small cookies. 

"Sakura, do you remember any of that?" asked Ino, once they had their food and were left alone.  
"I didn't even think of it until today," said Sakura, her head hanging in shame.  
"I can't believe how horrible I was to him," sighed Ino, taking a sip of her drink.  
"I can't believe how mean I was as well," retorted Sakura.  
"You wouldn't have done it if I hadn't suggested it Sakura," interjected Ino.  
"No," refused Sakura. "I would have done anything back then. I was such a fool, to value staying popular over the life of another human being. I have as much fault as you have Ino."

"I don't get why he never sneered at us," said Ino. "As far as I remember, he never said a harsh thing about us unless cornered. He always had that smile on."  
"It was his mask," said Sakura. "A mask that kept back all the pain and hate he must have been feeling. And every one of us only helped add to the burden."  
"Why?!" she exclaimed loudly, gathering the attention of the other café patrons. She immediately quited down. "Why didn't he get his revenge?! Why does he still treat all of us like his friends?!"

"That's just him I suppose," said Sakura. "Being with him on Team Seven, I noticed his special ability. No matter how badly he was treated; no matter if he was meeting someone for the first time; Naruto always had the ability to make friends with everybody."  
"Still," replied Ino. "I feel like there's nothing we could ever do to atone."  
"We can only try to treat him better than he has been treated," said Sakura, as he bit Ino one of her cookies.

* * *

Naruto had been walking the streets of Konoha, thinking to himself how to solve this new 'problem' as he perceived it. Surely his friends would turn on him, maybe even hurt him? Naruto was slowly trying to figure out how to overcome this horrible obstacle to obtain his dream. He was also cursing the Kyuubi, for if the bastard didn't exist, he wouldn't have these problems in the first place. 

"Naruto! Naruto!"

The blond man was snapped out of his self-examination by a voice. And Naruto turned to find Tenten approaching him. The young woman stopped before him, barely even winded by her exertion.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked innocently. Naruto wasn't sure if he should, but he had no reason not to trust the weapon-master.  
"Ok," he nodded dumbly to the girl. Tenten took the boy by his hand and led him towards a place she knew he'd be comfortable at: Ichiraku's Ramen Stand.

Naruto reluctantly took a seat, and Tenten sat next to him.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked Naruto. "My treat."  
"Um," questioned Naruto, "a bowl of pork ramen would be nice."  
"Hey mister!" exclaimed Tenten to the old man. "One bowl each of pork and vegetarian ramen please!"

* * *

The pair waited for their food, which was served to them swiftly. Afterwards, the old man went into the back for some other business, leaving the two alone. 

"So, that was quite a show Tsunade put on, wasn't it?" Tenten asked casually. Naruto seemed to tense up however.  
"I suppose," he said. "So now you and the others know the truth about me. I can understand if you hate me now. I should thank you though Tenten; I mean, you were the one who made Spiral Hell for me."  
"Now why would you think that I hate you?" she asked the boy. Tenten wanted to get inside this guys head, for better or worse.

"Well, don't you?" asked Naruto. Tenten shook her head, much to Naruto's relief and joy.  
"It does make sense of a lot of things. Like for example, how you managed to channel chakra after Neji hit you with the 64 Divine Strikes Technique."  
"Yeah, it was because of the Kyuubi. I demanded he let me use his power," explained Naruto.  
"You demanded power from the King of Tailed Demons?!" said Tenten, with a laugh. It was heartfelt, which allowed Naruto to finally relax and laugh along with her.

"Now Naruto," asked Tenten. "what I'm curious is to how you got so strong?"  
"What do you mean? I trained with Jiraiya, everyone knows that," answered Naruto.  
"That's not what I meant," retorted Tenten. "I mean, how did you get so strong emotionally? Any other boy your age would have probably committed suicide or such by now."

Naruto looked crestfallen at this question. Tenten felt a pang of guilt and pain feeling that she was the cause.

"It's not like that Tenten," said Naruto. "The truth is, I've probably cried more tears than anyone else. There were times I cried so much, I had practically given myself a bath. Nowadays, I have no more tears for my past. There is still anger, and pain, but no more sadness left."

He felt Tenten pull him in close, which surprised him greatly. Not just because he didn't expect it, but because it felt...nice.

"I'm sorry," she spoke to him gently. "If I had known, perhaps things would have turned out differently for you. I'm sorry, and I want to say it on behalf of everyone Naruto. Please believe me that your friends will never hate you Naruto, not after what you have done for all of us."

* * *

After saying his goodbyes to Tenten, along with thanking her for her comfort, Naruto headed back to his home. He opened the door to his tiny apartment, and found his teacher, Jiraiya, sitting on his couch in waiting. 

"You told her to do it, didn't you sensei?" asked Naruto immediately.  
"I had a talk with her about it, yes," confessed Jiraiya. "But it was a decision that we both agreed on. Even with the best intentions, sometimes people place barriers that only harm rather than heal."  
"But why now? Why this time and this place?" asked Naruto, as he sat down next to the Sanin.  
"Because its the best time and place. You and the others are starting to become powerful, and influential shinobi in the village. With the secret out in the open, your friends can help you out with any problems the senior villagers give. So, how did you find the others to take the news?"

"It was unusual for me. No one has ever been so kind to me before, aside from the guys at Ichiraku. But I can't help but feel it was more out of pity and guilt than any friendship."  
"Give it time kid," said Jiraiya, as he got to his feet and headed for the door. "With all this time, guilt and pity will be felt in the beginning, but soon you'll find that slowly those kind deeds are truly out of friendship."

With Jiraiya making his exit, Naruto now found himself alone in his apartment. He looked outside to find that it was almost nighttime, so he decided he'd turn in early. Who knows what Tsunade-ba-chan would make him do tomorrow?

Naruto stripped himself down to his t-shirt and white silk boxers, and led himself to his bed. He collapsed on top of it, set his alarm clock, and slowly drifted off to sleep...

The new life was about to begin...

* * *

**Footnotes:**

** (1)  
**Some people might know the names/weapons I've chosen for this little number of mine. Part of me wants you to just guess, but the other part wants to be up front about these as well. I've gone with the latter.  
Tenten's katanas **Shame and Blame**, are the default weapons of **Voldo**, one of the characters from one of my best fighting games: **Soul Edge/Calibur**. Since I decided on a pair of them for the costume/equipment, I thought it would be proper to give them a named used on another pair of weapons. Naruto's weapon, **Spiral Hell**, is named for one of the special attacks in **Final Fantasy XI**. Though the name has been borrowed, I intend to give the weapon a reason of its own to be called it. If you don't know what a Kusari-Gama is exactly, its a sickle/kunai attached to a length of chain. Sometimes, its two sickles tied together with a long chain, and that's the version Naruto carries.

**(2)  
**Yes, this will be in the Naruto/Tenten fiction. What can I say? I've fallen in love with the prospects of this pairing. When I first thought this out, I wanted to involve Astrology in this story. However, I decided it would make things to complicated, so it was tossed out. This story is going to involve **Every Last One **of the Konoha Twelve, and it's most likely going to be even longer than my last story!!! I hope you enjoy it.

**KPAAF**


	2. Chapitre 1

**Disclaimer: Me + Naruto Lawsuit**

**Hello! From The Edge of the World**

**Chapitre 1: A Traveler Negotiates**

* * *

"What the hell Tsunade-ba-chan?!" screamed an infuriated Naruto, who was now on the verge of dismantling the entirety of the Hokage's Office. Tsunade didn't flinch however, as she was quite used to the boy's temper tantrums.

"You heard me quite clearly Naruto," she spoke in a clear and calm voice. "There have been no recent missions requested that require a ninja of your skill. The high ranking missions have already been entrusted to the elder jonin, and the genin are taking care of the lower missions."

"This can't be possible, you've gotta give me something to do?" pleaded the blond. "What am I supposed to do with a day off?!"  
"I suggest you shut your mouth and appreciate it," said Tsunade, who now stood up out of her seat and gave her grandson the evil eye, which froze him in place.

"As a shinobi, to be able to spend a day without fighting, missions, training, is a day to be cherished Naruto. The stronger you become, the fewer and fewer days of true peace you will have. You're still so young, so shut your mouth, get out of my office, and try to do something enjoyable."

Naruto scowled at this, for he knew that the conversation was now over. He turned himself around, and left the office, slamming the door to signify his discontent. Tsunade simply shook her head.

_'What in the world can I do with that boy?' _she thought briefly before sitting herself down to yet another mountain of paperwork...

* * *

And so without anything in the world to do, Naruto scoured the streets of Konoha. Sure, he could train, but he had just done a whole month of intense training. What would be left to polish? He didn't have anything important coming up either, no deadlines or appointments to keep for a long time.

But then the benefits of being open started to show themselves. Naruto looked down the road to see none other than Kiba Inuzuka coming at him from the opposite directions.

"Oi! Kiba," called Naruto. The Inuzuka looked to find the Uzumaki he had just learned about.

He was confused yesterday, as Naruto left the room before anyone could speak with him. After he had time to think about it though, Kiba could see how Naruto would want to leave before anything bad happened.

But Kiba didn't have a grudge against the man. Sure, he was a jackass, and Naruto had picked a fight with Kiba on more than one occasion, but he was a decent person. For the Inuzuka, ones actions were all the proof one needed about a person's ethics. It was the opinion of at least Kiba, that Naruto had proven himself time after time.

"Hey Naruto," greeted the beastman, "having no missions sucks eh?"  
"Tell me about it," said Naruto. "And training would be redundant. What are you doing?"  
"I was going over to the creek. The other guys are meeting me there to just hang out. You want to come?" asked Kiba.  
"Is it okay?" asked Naruto. He wanted to be polite about the situation, seeing as he didn't get an invite.  
"'Course it is," said Kiba, smacking Naruto on the back. "You are one of us guys, ain't ya?"

With their course decided for the day, the two men walked a ways outside the village, where one would find the various training grounds and meeting sites. Further still they walked, into the more dense areas of the forest, until coming to a small clearing with a stretch of water running through it.

* * *

It was there they found the other young men already partaking in the natural bounty. Shikamaru and Chouji were sitting underneath the shade of one of the many healthy trees. While Shikamaru was content to lay on the grass and stare up into the sky, Chouji had brought a sack full of snack items, and was eagerly eating away at a bag of kettle chips.

Shino was near the stream, to the surprise of the others. They naturally didn't think of the Aburame having any resident incests that liked to be near water. For most bugs, water was a hazard to be respected, not taunted. Shino however, did have a few insects inside him that could live on or in the water. A water spider could be seen dancing along the edge of the water, and if one cared too, they would find a few water bugs a little bit below the water's surface.

The last person of this merry bunch was their antithesis: Uchiha Sasuke. Somehow, by unknown means, Kiba and others managed to persuade the prodigy to spend time with his teammates today. Sasuke was sitting on the cool grass, leaning against the bark of a tree. He had his eyes, as if taking a nap, but everyone knew the wiser. Sasuke immediately 'awoke' at the presence of Kiba and Naruto.

"Hey guys," greeted Kiba with a wave. Naruto chose to remain silent. He was being cautious, which was quite against his nature.

His former teammate Sasuke caught on to this immediately. "You feeling okay?" he asked the blond.  
"I'm fine!" blurted out Naruto, almost too quickly. Sasuke looked at him for a minute, but then decided not to push the issue. It wasn't any of his business anyways.

Naruto decided to soak his feet in the stream; so he quickly walked to the water's edge, took off his shoes and socks, and let his feet dip slowly into the cool liquid.

"Is this how you guys usually hang out?" asked Naruto. This was the first time he ever did anything like this.  
"It is when your job requires you to kill people," said Shikamaru in his trademark tone. "Being wound up all the time is bad for your health."  
"Yeah," said Chouji, as clearly as he could while stuffing his face. "Besides, this is how we keep in touch with everyone. We only get to do this once every two months or so, and that's if things are going well."

Naruto made a sound of understanding, and just took in the scenery. The cool water on his feet was starting to relax him, and he almost could fall asleep at any minute.

However, one of his friends decided to talk to him about yesterday.

"Naruto, why do you continue to serve the village?"

Naruto shot his eyes open, and turned to see Shino Aburame looking at him through his coke-bottle frames.

Naruto just stared at Shino for a while. The problem with trying to read a guy so hidden in clothing is that you can never truly know their intentions. What was Shino looking for? Could he want to understand him? What about the opposite side of thinking, and Shino was looking to coax a plot of vengeance out of the Uzumaki?

"I've fought for one goal my entire life, and that's to become a Hokage," said Naruto. "I guess after a while, that's the only way I knew how to live my life."  
"You could've ran away," said Kiba. "I'm sure if you tried another ninja village they would take you in."  
"I doubt he could do that without a whole ANBU squadron after him," interjected Shikamaru. "Missing ninja are frowned upon, no matter what the village may think of them."

"Do you ever...think about vengeance?" asked Sasuke, to which the group looked at him with a collective sense of caution.  
"I've thought about it, why do you ask?" countered Naruto. "Its not like you care what happens to any of us anyways."

In a flash, Sasuke had appeared next to Naruto, and proceeded to grab the young man by the collar of his shirt. Kiba and Chouji began to instinctively prepare for a fight, but Naruto held up his hand to keep them at bay.

"Now why do you say something like that?" asked Sasuke, quite calmly considering his actions.

"You've been avoiding me Sasuke," explained Naruto. "Even after I helped you defeat Itachi; even after I helped you get reinstated with the village; and even after I defended you when the others wanted to make sure you didn't betray us again, you've just kept yourself away from me. So tell me Sasuke, what else am I supposed to think?"

At this, Sasuke released Naruto, and turned his back to him. A barely audible noise escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Say what?!" said Naruto. No one in Konoha ever got an apology from an Uchiha, ever.  
"I'm sorry," said Sasuke a little louder. He turned to the Uzumaki, looking him dead in the eye.

"When I was still chasing after Itachi, I thought it best to never get close to anyone. I was to have no friends, no family, and no mercy. I felt that best so that my brother could not incur another massacre on myself. With him gone, I guess I don't know how to change my behavior that much yet."

"Also, I need to apologize for my transgressions Naruto."  
"What? First you apologize, which never happens, and now you need to do it again?! What for?"  
"Before yesterday, I took you for another ignorant fool. I placed you in with all the other people and friends who tried to say they understood my position. Obviously, you knew my situation better than I will ever know, and for that, I'm sorry."

This was the most shocking moment all the guys had ever seen. Sasuke was a no-nonsense kind of person, but they never took him to be one to apologize for his mistakes. And it was true, they never gave him a shot like that in the beginning, it was Naruto who convinced them to let the Uchiha prove himself once again.

"Quite a bunch of friends you have their lad. You sure you wouldn't call them your enemies?"

All six shinobi turned their attention to the new presence. A figure approached them from a distance via the forest.

He appeared to be short, but he was also hunched over so that affected his stature. The man was wearing a large fedora hat, which specks of dust and dirt fell off of from time to time. A large tarp covered the stranger from head to toe, which too was covered in a fine layer of dirt. He was assumed to be an elderly gentleman, given that in his right hand he was holding a cane to help support himself.

However, his age was meaningless to the six young men. At this moment, Naruto and the others were too busy berating themselves mentally for not even noticing the old man. To be able to conceal oneself from six elite shinobi, one had to be either incredibly lucky, or incredibly dangerous.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Sasuke, or rather demanded at this point.  
"Such hostility, you'll give yourself an early grave being so tense young man," joked the stranger. "But if you need to call me something, you can call me Ren."

"And what brings you here Ren?" interjected Naruto.  
"I'm just a traveler is all," dismissed the elder. "I stumbled upon your little group just as that one with the red eyes looked to give you a beating."

"Well, we're obviously fine now," said Sasuke, "so we would appreciate it if you left us now, please."  
"Now now," said Ren, waving his hand to the Uchiha. "I'll leave just as soon as I get an eyeful of that Jinchuriki over there."

The clearing was deathly silent at this remark. How could he tell what Naruto was?

"Look here old man," said Naruto as he started to advance on Ren.  
"Easy there," said Ren. "I mean no harm to you or your village. Its just that a Jinchuriki like yourself is just the type of person I'm looking for."  
"How did you know I was one?"  
"Look at yourself lad," said Ren, motioning at the man. "It doesn't take a genius to notice your whiskers and your feral eyes."

Naruto stood there for a moment, but then relaxed and smirked at the elder man.

"Okay, you got my attention old man, so what did you want with me?" he asked.  
"Let me ask ya a question my boy," started Ren. "What would you say if I told ya that you could get rid of that pesky beast?"  
"I'd say you're trying to get me killed, seeing as I die if anyone tried to get rid of Kyuubi," snorted Naruto.

"Ah, but I know of a way to exorcise the beast, without harming its host," childed Ren.  
"What are you going on about?" quirked the blond.  
"This is what I'm talking about," said Ren, and he reached into his tarp. Minutes later, a old, musty scroll emerged from the unknown folds.

"This is something I just happened to run across," the elder explained.  
"Who just goes around dropping scrolls?" interjected Shikamaru. "You should tell us how you 'ran across' that scroll."

"Yer a smart one, aren't ya?" chuckled Ren. "But you're right. It was during one my many travels to the far reaches of the globe. I walked through this little village that was recently attacked my some marauders and the like. Not a soul left alive, or so I thought until I was grabbed by a hand."

"And what happened with that?" asked Kiba, getting into the story the traveler was weaving.  
"Well, it was a villager, who had a rather nasty wound. I couldn't do anything for the bastard, seeing as I don't know anything about medicine. And this guy seemed to know he was going to die as well, so he handed me this scroll. The man would pass away soon afterwards."

"And you just stood there and did nothing?!" exclaimed Kiba in disgust.  
"I already said the man was dying and I couldn't help him," remarked Ren.

"Anyways, a bit afterwards I stop to read this scroll, and it talk of a holy place. Apparently, whoever goes there and makes a wish, will have it granted without consequences."

"Ok, now you're just yanking his chain you geezer," interrupted Saskue. "You're not believing a word of this, are you Naruto?"

Naruto however, did not answer Sasuke's question. He had a look on him that was actually mulling over taking the old man's offer.

"And what would you get out of all this Ren?" Naruto asked. "You don't seem the type to do this out of the goodness of your heart."  
"Ah, my price. Good of ya to think ahead of me lad," complimented Ren. "I wouldn't ask for much. What I would want, is for you to tell me about your journey there once you return."  
"You just want a story out of me?"  
"I'm a novelist by trade. Its just something I do to make a bit of money. All I ask is the rights to your story. Of course, I wouldn't be much of a novelist if I didn't acknowledge your part in it."

"Why don't you go yourself old man?" asked Shikamaru.  
"One, I'm too old. And two, there has been no record of anyone ever going to this place and coming back alive," said Ren.  
"I knew there was a catch," said Shikamaru.

"Naruto, don't listen to this crackpot, ok?" pleaded Kiba with his friend. "There's no proof that this place even exists, right?"  
"And before yesterday, you wouldn't believe that Kyuubi was sealed rather than killed, right Kiba?" retorted Naruto. "I believe this guy. However, I need sometime to think this over."  
"Ah, of course," said Ren. "I'll in the village for a few days, so you can come find me when you come to a decision. Until then, try to think it over lad."

With that, Ren walked out of the clearing, towards the direction of Konoha.

"Naruto, what are you thinking?" exclaimed Kiba, with their unexpected guest now gone.  
"I'm thinking that I need to go now guys," answered Naruto. "Thanks for the invite Kiba, but I gotta go see somebody now."

* * *

Naruto waved to his friends, and then went back towards the village. However, he didn't immediately head towards his destination. Part of the reason was he wasn't sure how to go about thinking this situation out, much less talking about it with someone else.

The other reason was waiting at his home. Naruto wanted to get home and get something to eat for himself, but was in store for another surprise.

As he walked down the street where his house was, he heard noises that sounded like an argument. The man looked forward to see a gathering of three people. The two men he didn't recognize off the top of his head, but the young woman was none other than Yamanaka Ino.

"Well well well," snickered one of the men. "We almost never see anyone as pretty as you in these parts. You lost lady?"  
The beach blond scoffed as she rolled her eyes at the slobs in front of her. "I'm not lost, I'm here to see someone. Now if you don't mind-"  
"Hold on a second there!" said the second man, who now grabbed Ino by the forearm forcefully.

"That's no way to treat a lady guys."

The three turned around to see their guest, Naruto, start to walk up to them.

"Beat it fox-boy," said anonymous thug number one. "You don't want us to get rough."  
"You guys must be drunk," chuckled Naruto. "You talking to me like I'm still five years old."  
"Well, you still can't do anything about this, so butt out," remarked the man, and turned to his prey.

Suddenly, the two men felt something wrap around their necks. It was cold, and it clanged like metal. They soon saw a kama-like blade wrapped around each of them. The handles were pitch black, and were made from wood that was smoothed and varnished. The blades themselves were sunk into the wood, and then secured into place by several screws, which were placed by a master's hand. The blades were cut into a specific shape, and looked like a roaring fire rising from the ground. These many jagged points and curves only served to increase the weapon's potential to rip and tear flesh.

The thugs followed the length of chain behind them to see Naruto holding a section of it.

"Is this supposed to scare us you burk?" taunted the second thug. "You know damn well its against the law to attack fellow villagers."  
"Your right," said Naruto. "Absolutely right on that part. However, I'm not going to attack you, just retrieve my weapon."

"Huh?"  
"And the best way to do that is like this," stated Naruto.

He then forcefully tugged on his length of chain, pulling the two thugs towards him. However, due to the position they were in, and the laws of physics, the two slammed their heads together, instantly knocking them out.

As Naruto gathered his Spiral Hell from the two unconscious brutes in front of him, Ino walked over, and placed a hand over each of their foreheads.

"What are you doing?" asked Naruto.  
"Erasing their short-term memory for the last ten minutes," answered Ino. "When they wake up, they won't remember a thing."  
"Good thinking," complimented the man. "So what brings you here Ino? This isn't a safe neighborhood.""I noticed," she said. "How do you live in such a place?"  
"I got used to it, and I was forced to learn very quickly how to survive," answered the Uzumaki.

"Well, there was something I wanted to say to you Naruto," said Ino.  
"I'm listening," said Naruto, "but first, do you want to come over to my house?"  
Ino shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll only be a minute," she replied.

Ino took a breath, and then bowed to Naruto, which caught the boy completely off guard.

"I'm so sorry for everything I ever did to you," stated the kunoichi. "I know there is no way for me to atone for my cruelty in the past, but I want to say that I'm truly, truly sorry Naruto."

The young woman kept herself down, hearing nothing but the silence of the street the two were upon.

It was after a minute that she got an answer from Naruto.

"It that all that's bugging you?" Naruto said with a small chuckle.

"Huh?!" Ino nearly shouted. "That's it?! Don't you want to shout at me, or even hit me?!"

Naruto shook his head. "I decided a long, long, long time ago something," he explained. "I decided that if people were willing to be my friend, even after knowing about Kyuubi, then I would consider the slate clean."

"So Ino," said Naruto, extending his hand. "Are you willing to still be my friend?"

After a moment of processing what just transpired, Ino quickly and eagerly took Naruto's hand.

"Of course!" she said with a relieve smile.  
"Then there's nothing to forgive," replied Naruto. "Well, I'm heading home, see you later!"  
"Goodbye!" said Ino, waving to the boy as he entered his house, and then left herself.

* * *

It was evening, and one Hinata Hyuga, heard someone shuffling towards her house. She had walked to the kitchen to find something for herself to eat, when she heard a noise at her front door. Hinata opened it up to find Naruto there, trying to fight off two other members of the Hyuga clan.

"What is going on here!" she stated, gathering the attention of all three.  
"Miss Hinata," spoke one of the clan members, "this boy was trying to sneak into the compound."  
"What are you talking about?" protested Naruto. "I just wanted to come over and see someone."  
"Release him, and go back to your posts please," spoke Hinata, to which the two guards obeyed immediately.

"What brings you here Naruto-kun?" she asked in a sweeter tone of voice than before.  
"Thanks Hinata," greeted Naruto. "I was hoping that Neji was around here somewhere?"  
"Neji?" repeated Hinata. "Usually he's back with his family at the branch house at this hour."

"Will I have to deal with more of your dad's hired goons?" joked Naruto. Hinata giggled at that remark.  
"No, I'll make sure they leave you alone. I'm sure you know the way from here."  
"Ok, thanks a lot again Hinata!" chirped Naruto, before heading for the branch house.

After a bit of walking, Naruto was fortunate to find Neji on the front porch of his house, looking upwards at the night sky. His pale eyes shone and twinkled in the moonlight.

"Nice night for stargazing, isn't it?" greeted Naruto, in a casual way. Neji turned to his abrupt visitor.  
"Naruto, what brings you here to see me?" he asked his friend, before offering Naruto a seat next to him on the porch. Naruto accepted the Hyuga's offer, and sat down on the cool wooden porch floor..  
"I wanted to talk with you, is all," stated Naruto.  
"Oh really?" said Neji, not buying his friend's story. "That's certainly unusual for you. I've never seen you really outside of our duties as shinobi."

"Not buying it Neji?"  
"Not for a minute."  
"Well," said Naruto, "its like this Neji..."

And so, Naruto told Neji about his run in with Kiba, and how he got invited to join him and the others at the creek. He talked and joked a bit about the scene he created with Sasuke, and his sudden apology, even getting a small chuckle from Neji because of it. Naruto explained the old man named Ren, and how he offered Naruto a change to destroy Kyuubi for good. Neji never interrupted Naruto, and waited until the blond boy was finished with his tale.

"There's just one thing I don't get Naruto," pondered Neji. "Why did you want to talk to me about this?"  
"Because I think that if anyone can understand what I'm going through, its you," explained Naruto.  
"You'll have to explain this to me Naruto, I'm not following you."  
"I'm just worried about what this will do to me, assuming that I take Ren up on his offer."

"Neji, have you ever wondered how you would've turned out if you weren't branded with the Cursed Seal?"  
"Not really, considering I had no choice in the manner," replied Neji, a pained expression flashing across his face for a moment.  
"Well, if I may hypothesize," Naruto asked, to which Neji nodded. "I think you never would have become as determined and hard-working as you are now. With the seal placed on you, and with you father's death, you were driven to show up all those snobs that run the Main Branch. You would have never learned those Main Branch techniques, and you would have never made Jonin before the rest of us."

"Hm," muttered Neji, who now had his eyes closed. He could almost imagine the person he would have been if not for his tragic past. It was quite enlightening to have someone guess about your possible outcomes.

"You see now what I'm worried about?" asked Naruto. "I keep thinking that if Kyuubi is gone, then so is a part of myself. What if I change after Kyuubi is gone? What if that change isn't for the better?"  
"You are forgetting one important factor though in your analogy Naruto," commented Neji.

"What's that?" asked Naruto, looking for his friend's advice.  
"Naruto, you're an adult now. As an adult, you have already been forged into the person you are by your childhood. Unless something or someone comes into your life that drastically changes your world, I doubt you'll ever change, with or without Kyuubi."

"But Kyuubi is fused inside me. He is a part of my body. Heck, I can die if someone tries to pull him out of me," interjected Naruto.  
"He will only influence you if you choose to let him do that Naruto. Tell me, are you going to let that happen?" pointed out Neji.  
"I see your point," conceded Naruto. "And you know what? I think you helped me make my decision for me."  
"Glad I could help then," said Neji, a small smirk on his face.

With his mind cleared, and with some good counsel Naruto gave his regards to Neji and took off for his house.

* * *

The morning afterwards Naruto made use of his shinobi training and quickly tracked down Ren. When he accepted Ren's offer, the man only offered a smirk, and the scroll he promised upon Naruto's agreement. Naruto quickly made plans to prepare an expedition to wherever this scroll took him. So he went to see Tsunade. 

While Tsunade was a bit skeptical as always, the constant confidence and nagging from Naruto was enough to convince her to let the boy go. A victorious smile was on Naruto's face as he left the Hokage's office. The Hokage in question immediately took out an 'emergency' bottle of sake she kept under her desk, and helped her self to a cup of the sauce. Hopefully, she thought, that Naruto was going out on a suicide mission.

Then an idea came to her, yes, this might very well be a suicide _mission_...

As Naruto showed his credentials to the gate guards, he took one last look at the village. The boy had made it a requirement of himself every time he was to leave Konoha. He wanted to make sure that the vision of this village never left his thoughts. After a minute of burning the image into his brain, he set outside the gates, and into the vast forest before him.

Naruto had walked a mile into the forest after a good ten minutes or so. Given his shinobi skill, he could easily sprint the whole trip, but decided against it. On a serious note, he never could be sure what trouble could rear its ugly head while he was on this journey. To be an exhausted shinobi was to be a dead one. On a lighter note, Naruto considered this trip a sort of vacation for himself. Tsunade had permitted the blond knucklehead to take as much time as he needed to finish the trip safely and successfully.

"Its not nice to leave your team behind Naruto."

A sudden voice speaking to him caused Naruto to stop in his tracks. He slowly turned around, and saw Sakura smirking at him, a knapsack strapped over her shoulder.

"Sakura?" he pondered. "You mean I'm not going alone on this trip."  
"It's no longer a trip," spoke a voice, and this time Naruto turned to his front to see Tenten.

"What's that mean?"  
"It means that the Hokage has deemed this an S-rank mission," said Kiba, who immediately emerged from the lush forest.

"And she immediately recruited all available shinobi to assist you," spoke Shikamaru, who walked up behind Sakura.  
"How many of you guys are coming then?" asked Naruto.

"All of us," said Sasuke, who was behind Shikamaru. Naruto looked behind to Uchiha to see that Ino, Shino, Hinata, Lee, Chouji, and Neji gathering with the group.  
"You guys," said Naruto. "But...why?"

"Why?" exclaimed Lee. "Because we could never just let one of our comrades walk off on a very perilous mission all by himself!"  
"He's right Naruto," spoke Sakura. "The village will be fine without the twelve of us for a while. All the other chunin and the new genin can handle most of the mission requests. And Kakashi and the others can handle any high-level missions we get."

"You guys..." said Naruto, his head hung low. It soon shot up in a smile. "Well, lets get moving then! We've got a lot of ground to cover, and who knows what will happen along the way!"

"Right!" shouted the other eleven in unison, and they all started down the forest path. Naruto stayed behind, for he allowed a single tear to trickle down his face.

"Thank you...everyone," he whispered to himself, before running to catch up to his friends...

Yes, he knew now. He truly had friends...

* * *

**Footnotes:**

**(1)**

Some people might not have liked the light I shone Ino and the others in, but that was the intention of the scenario. I wanted a heart-wrenching, cruel depiction. Someone reviewed and said they were absolutely appalled at Ino's father, and that made me glad. I got the reaction I wanted.

**"Thank You!" To the Following:**

**** **The Rogue Stallion  
Ryu no sendo tenshi  
Seiryu Suzaku Byakko Genbu**

**KPAAF**


	3. Chapitre 2

**Disclaimer: No Naruto! Bad, bad Naruto! You know I don't own you! Go home!**

* * *

**Hello! From the Edge of the World**

**Chapitre 2: A Journey is Revealed...**

* * *

It had been a few days since the twelve young shinobi had departed their beloved Konoha. However, one wouldn't know their allegiance at first glance, for no one was bearing their hate-ate. 

It was a suggestion of Shikamaru's, to which he talked about with Naruto. The Nara explained to his 'leader' that since this trip was more like a vacation than a mission of importance, it would be a good idea to take off their hate-ate. Shikamaru explained that this would make their rather large group a bit less conspicuous, and any discretion would be useful.

Other than that, Naruto had no real conversation with the other men. Since they all were taking their time, the twelve had decided to just walk towards their destination. As such, the party split into several different factions and groups. Sasuke was walking at pace with Shino and Kiba, who engaged the Uchiha in modest conversation. Naruto was too far to actually hear what they were saying, but from the look of disbelief on Sasuke's face, he assumed it was something of a juvenile nature.

Another grouping consisted of Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Lee, and Chouji. It seemed rather mismatched on the surface, and Naruto noticed a look of boredom on the faces of the guys from time to time. However, Ino and Sakura seemed to change the subject often enough that Lee and Chouji seemed satisfied in listening along. Every now and then Ino would look at Lee and Chouji, and try to get them involved, to which the boys obliged.

Shikamaru and Neji were talking quietly to each other, forming a group Naruto jokingly called 'The Brain Trust'. Whatever they were discussing was over Naruto's head, but they were nodding along with each other all the while. Naruto started to wonder about when those two became acquaintances. As far as he could remember, Shikamaru wasn't too fond of confident guys like Neji, and Neji didn't think much of the lazy Shikamaru. Somewhere along the way the two must have found some common ground, and that was the best guess Naruto could come up with.

Naruto was content with just being around his friends, and he knew that the twelve of them would have plenty of time to get to know each other. However, for this little stroll he was joined in tandem by Tenten. This left the Uzumaki a bit uncomfortable. The weapon master was a new source of confusion for the young man. Tenten was a perfectly nice girl, but Naruto barely knew her. After that night at Ichiraku's, Naruto was further conflicted with himself. It was a honest reaction; before that night, Naruto never even really touched a girl, much less had one pull him into a hug.

"Naruto? Are you listening?" spoke up Tenten, as she noticed the blond simply staring at her.  
"Huh?" spoke Naruto, snapping out of his trance. "Oh sorry, I had something on my mind."  
"Oh? What would that be?"  
"Well," said Naruto, looking ahead of himself.

He noticed that Tenten and himself were bringing up the rear of the group. This made him more comfortable that he could speak to her in confidence.

"Listen Tenten, I'm not that good with this kind of conversation. Sure I've talked to Sakura and such, but even then I would act like a jackass and such every now and then."  
"So how does that relate to me," asked Tenten, a look of ire on her face.  
"Well," Naruto turned his head away from the girl, a hint of red coming to his cheeks. "I've just, ya know, never been hugged by a girl before."  
"What?! Are you saying I'm diseased or something? You mean to tell me you're acting funny because you hated my hug?"

"No! I'm acting like this because **I liked it!**" he blurted out loudly.

At this the party came to a crashing halt, and ten sets of eyes stared at the two shinobi behind them. Neji and Sasuke looked to be indifferent towards the matter. Sakura and Lee both had smiles on their faces, and seemed to be gushing support from their eyes, especially in the case of Lee. Ino grinned like a minx, rubbing her hands together in a mischievous manner.

Naruto at this moment wished there was a small hole for him to jump into, for right now he was so embarrassed that he just blurted out something so intimate to the group.

"Well uh," he stammered, "there should be a town up ahead a few miles. I think we'll spend the rest of the day there. Tomorrow we can continue!" he said, and dashed off as soon as the words left his mouth. A thick cloud of dust was kicked up as Naruto fled the scene like a madman. At first, the others were just standing still in confusion, before the slowly started to make their way in Naruto's direction.

Neji notice that Tenten was still standing there in the clearing, he turned to look and see if his former teammate was okay, but he quickly quirked a brow at her. Apparently Naruto's words struck a cord with the weapon master. She had a tint of red on her face, and was staring a hole into the dirt below. Neji continued on his way; it wasn't any of his business, but he personally thought that things on this trip may turn out to be interesting.

"He liked it?" muttered Tenten to herself. And for the first time in her life, Tenten acted like a girl, rather than a weapon master.

* * *

The town was indeed up ahead only a few miles from the group's position. It wasn't a bustling community, nor was it something to be considered a small rest area. No, this town seemed to be a fair balance. There were visible living residences, to which one could find a child or a family strolling along from time to time. There were a few shops and entertainment venues, and plenty of restaurants to be scattered throughout. The Konoha Twelve approached one of the few buildings that mattered to them: the hotel. 

The building was rather large from the outside, and once they entered the building, they found a neat and tidy lobby awaiting them. Naruto walked up to the receptionist, who greeted the stranger with a smile.

"How can I help you?" she asked politely.  
"Yes, we're going to need a few rooms," answered Naruto.  
"Actually sir, if I may suggest?" requested the employee, to which Naruto listened to.

"There are a few large, studio suites that we offer for large groups," she explained. "It's a two-floor area, with 5 bedrooms, a spacious living area, and even a patio complete with a small outdoor bath."  
"That sounds perfect!" exclaimed Naruto. "I'll take that room please."

"Very well sir!" chirped the receptionist, who wrote down some information into a log book. Afterwards, she walked over to the back wall, where she picked up a small bundle of room keys. She placed them on the counter, and then proceeded to ring up the cost.

"That'll be twenty-thousand ryou please," she told Naruto, who began to convulse. That amount was the same one would get paid for an A-rank mission! The average shinobi in Konoha made about thirty-thousand ryou a year. What, where the rooms made from solid gold?!

"Naruto, almost forgot," spoke up Sakura, who approached Naruto. She pulled out of one of her various pockets an envelope. She handed it to Naruto.  
"What's this?" he asked the kunoichi.  
"Give it to the receptionist," ordered Sakura.

Naruto opened the envelope, and discovered a letter inside. Naruto handed it over, to which the receptionist looked at it in confusion.

"Just one minute please," she asked her customers, and called for her supervisor. The supervisor was a man who wore an outfit much like the receptionist. The girl showed her boss the note, who opened it and looked it over carefully. After a few minutes, he smiled widely at Naruto.  
"Very good my lord!" he said quite happily. "We'll arrange all the appropriate paperwork and handle it ourselves. Please, enjoy your stay here. And as a extra show of gratuity, we will prepare a nice dinner for you and your group, complete with an open bar."

Before the dumbfounded Naruto could say anything, the supervisor and receptionist ran off into the back of the lobby, at least not before handing back the note to the blond.

Once everyone had entered the suite, bed assignments were decided, and things such as what to order for dinner. Sakura had decided to shack up with Ino, and Hinata would bunk with Tenten. Kiba, Shino, and Chouji would take one room, as would Sasuke and Shikamaru. Neji and Naruto took the last room, seeing as neither of them cared about their bed. Heck, a nice bed to sleep in was enough luxury for the Uzumaki.

The girls decided to take advantage of a personal onsen, so they all went outside to the bath while the boys sat around the living area.

* * *

"Anyone wanna tell me why I'm not being thrown out by the seat of my pants?" asked Naruto to no one in particular."Obviously it was that note you handed the supervisor," scoffed Shikamaru.  
"How does a piece of paper give us this fancy room, with no questions asked?" 

"Let me see it," ordered Shikamaru, who was handed the note in question. After a quick minute, Shikamaru had an answer for the group.

"Its a Letter of Marke from the Emperor," he stated plainly.  
"And a Letter of Marke is?" asked Sasuke.  
"Basically, its a letter that allows us anything we want," said Shikamaru.  
"How is that?" asked Lee. "I mean, a letter from the emperor is indeed important, but it's not a free ticket."

"Well, you would normally see these notes handed out during times of war, or if the Country of Fire was in dire need of money," explained Shikamaru, "but apparently our Hokage was granted one, to which she has loaned the group. That's the best I can come up with, and it would explain why Sakura was the one who had it."

"This is great!" said Kiba with joy. "That means we can take whatever we want, and the big-shots in the capital will pay the bill for us!"  
"Don't get too excited Inuzuka," said Choiji. "You don't think that the Hokage would just give something like that to us without any common sense, do you?"  
"Chouji's right," said Shikamaru. "This isn't like some bloody credit card. Sure we can fit the bill on the emperor for some frivolous expenses, but if we go crazy the Hokage is going to get it."  
"And if Tsunade-sama is given hell, that will pale in comparison to what she'll do to the twelve of us," leaded Sasuke.  
"Ugh," shivered Naruto at the thought of Tsunade's wrath. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"So Naruto," asked Lee, "what exactly are we going after?"  
"Good question," said Naruto. "I've yet to take out this map and look at it. I wanted to wait until we got settled down before looking it over."

Naruto pulled out the scroll that Ren had given him. He walked over to a coffee table which adorned the living room and layed it out. The scroll was a world map. It was rather old – given the rips and tears on the edge, not to mention the all the wrinkles – but it seemed recent enough that the landmasses didn't look so different from their shapes today. All over the map, various marks were drawn. Some were drawn in pen, while others seemed to have been made with improvised material, like charcoal or mud.

"Lets see here," said Naruto, scanning the map with his eyes. The other boys quickly huddled around the map looking as well. Naruto's finger finally was pointed out to a specific point. It appeared to be a peninsula, which occurred near the edge of the map. The spot was obviously important, as many marks and note were scribbled all around it.

"You think that's the spot?" asked Kiba.  
"It has to be," said Shikamaru. "It's too obvious to be anything else."

"The...Edge...of the World?" said Chouji, slowly deciphering the chicken scratch for kanji.  
"Rather poetic for a supposed holy site, don't ya think?" criticized Lee.  
"Most people tend to do that with significant places," pointed out Neji.

"Well, at least we have some choices," said Naruto. "I'm looking at this map, and there appears to be several different paths people took to get to this 'Edge'."  
"So what are our options," asked Sasuke.  
"Shikamaru, you're good at this crap, why don't you tell us?" remarked Naruto.

Shikamaru sighed at the sudden work he was asked to do. Nevertheless, Naruto was the leader, so he had to obey.

"It seems there's a mountain path, that crosses this range right here," said Shikamaru, making a line with his finger. "The range starts at the Northeastern border of the Waterfall village's territory. From there, it looks to be pretty high in elevation, so we can expect harsh weather at least a few days. I think that if we wanted to cross this path safely, it would take a few weeks, but the benefit would be that we could make up the lost time once we passed the mountain range."

"Option number two," began Shikamaru, "starts here, at this river mouth. The marks tell of a dry bed that leads to a underground tunnel. It most likely is an old waterway, which became useless due to some tectonic shift and other terrain changes. The bed starts Southeast of our location, and is about two-hundred kilometers long. The bed exits right in the heart of the frontier, where no shinobi village holds sway."

"And Number three seems to be that we walk around the range. This is a dangerous proposition, since that the range stretches up to the Oto Village territory. Of course, we know Orochimaru is gone, but it could still be very hazardous up there. After we walk around the range, we can make it to several villages and supply depots that are scattered around that area."

"And those are my suggestions," finished Shikamaru. Naruto was looking rather thoughtful when the Nara had concluded his speech.

"I'll have to sleep on this," said Naruto. "Now that that's settled, lets relax and go crazy!"  
"Sounds like my kind of leader!" cheered Kiba, Lee, and Chouji.

"I suppose we can let loose during this trip," thought Neji.  
"Try not to break yourself in half doing so," snapped Sasuke.  
"You're one to talk," muttered Shikamaru.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenten was in a battle of wits; one that could decide the very fate of her shinobi career. 

"So what was that all about Tenten?" asked Ino, who grinned. Sakura and Hinata were content to just sit back and watch the impending fireworks for now.  
"What was what?" Tenten tried to dodge the question.

"Don't give me that..." teased Ino. "You were putting some moves on Naruto, weren't ya?"  
"Hmph!" scoffed Tenten. "You've gotten a lot less womanly these past few years Ino. Everything with you has some hidden meaning."

"Not womanly?!" exclaimed Ino. Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata smirked at the fact that now Ino had completely turned the spotlight on herself.  
"Look at this!" she said, getting up from her spot in the bath. "What part of this body doesn't say 'womanly'? I'm not the Blond Bombshell of Konoha for nothing."  
"You're right by that. You'd definitely have to pay us to call you that," snapped Tenten.

Sakura and Hinata laughed at that joke, while Ino started to get a bit peeved. Sure, this was all fun and games, but you could only go so far before things went from joking to warfare.

"Come on guys," said Hinata. "You're both beautiful for different reasons. Why is there a need to bicker about our looks?"

And with this, all attention was turned to the Hyuga. A few warning signals started to fire off in Hinata's head, but she wasn't aware of why.

"Did you hear that Sakura?" asked Ino. "Seems Hinata is suggesting that she knows a thing or two."  
"I could see that interpretation," remarked Sakura. "How about you Tenten?"  
"I agree, but how would she know?" asked the weapon master.  
"Perhaps we should find out for ourselves," said Ino, a devilish look on her face.

"G-girls?" asked Hinata, as her three friends slowly surrounded her.  
"Time for a surprise physical," said Sakura, and with that Tenten and Ino tackled Hinata.

A trail of moans, giggles, laughs, and screams could be heard coming from the bath.

* * *

Soon afterwards, dinner arrived for the twelve. It was quite a feast, with various meats, cheeses, vegetables, and desserts. A large cart also was wheeled into the suite, with many types of alcohol. The friends gathered around the living room table, and enjoyed a lengthy dinner. The boys, after hearing the commotion in the bath, looked at the girls in confusion, and one might think arousal, depending on who they asked. Conversation around the table was long and full of many topics. The suite was filled with laughs, scoffs, yelling, and drunken stupors (minus one Rock Lee of course). 

After everyone had their fill of food and drink, the girls whisked themselves off to bed early. After the kunoichi, Kiba decided to turn in, and was soon followed to the bedrooms by Lee. Sasuke left after that, and had Shikamaru come with him, not wanting to have anyone disturb his sleep. Chouji went to bed, and closed the door to his room behind him.

* * *

Naruto had decided to take a nightly soak in the bath, now that he would be alone. As he walked towards the onsen, he noticed Neji still in the living room, and he appeared to be reading some literature. Naruto thought nothing of it, and closed the door behind him. 

The Uzumaki breathed in the cool, fresh night air, as he felt the soothing warmth of the water overcome his body. He found a place to sit, and found himself looking into the clear night sky. There was a half-moon out tonight, and a few stars could be seen beyond the town's lighting.

"Nice night, isn't it?"

Naruto turned to see Neji walking towards him. Neji had chosen to forsake covering himself, but there was no need to. Naruto didn't wear a towel in the bath, and Neji didn't have anything attached to him that Naruto didn't come equipped with. The Hyuga dipped himself into the water, and took himself a seat across from Naruto's seat.

"I didn't know you felt this way about me Neji," smirked Naruto.  
"Don't flatter yourself," smirked back Neji. "Besides, I wouldn't do that to Tenten."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"That's right," scoffed Neji. "I forgot you weren't there to see Tenten after you blurted out that awkward statement."  
"What happened? I didn't make her cry did I?"

Neji laughed out loud at that remark, which only served to confuse the Uzumaki.

"No, I saw her blushing, and mumbling to himself. I'm not know for my ears, but I think we was saying 'he liked it' in a questioning manner."  
"Neji..."  
"You know, I've know Tenten for about seven years now," remarked Neji. "Along with Lee, we three have seen a lot of life together. We've had fights, laughs, danger, and a ton of memories. But none of those memories include what I saw this afternoon."  
"You can't be serious," remarked Naruto.

"I am always serious," said Neji. "You should feel special Naruto. You are the only person I know that can make Tenten act like a woman rather than a hardened shinobi. I think its because you see Tenten as just herself: nothing more and nothing less."  
"Tenten is just Tenten Neji," said Naruto. "That's all she really can be."

"Yes," said Neji, who stood up and proceeded to get out of the bath. "but Naruto, you need to know that isn't the entire story. Its not my place to say, but I get the feeling you're going to be one of the chosen few who will know."

Neji exited to inside the suite. Naruto stared into the night sky, trying to solve the riddle Neji just told him.

_'There's more to Tenten than just her being herself? What does that mean?'_

* * *

**Footnotes:  
**  
**(1)  
Letters of Marke -** In the 1500's, England was in dire straits. The country's funds and economy was to the point of near destruction. Enter one **Queen Elizibeth I**. The queen needed to make quick cash, and so issued Letters of Marke. With these letters, the holders became honorary members of Her Majesty's Royal Army. Within months, ships from all over the Atlantic Ocean were attacked, plundered, and sent to England. The vaults of England were quickly filled to capacity, and found build the foundation for the empire that England would be for the next 200+ years. To England, these sailors were heros. To England's rival empires, like Spain and France, they were **Pirates**. It is most likely that the age of piracy was born from this situation. 

Using this information I learned in my History classes, I made a variation of the Letter for Naruto's gang. It works mostly the same, as Naruto is looked upon as a servant of the Emperor. The biggest difference is that instead of plundering goods for the Emperor, the Emperor's Letter will compensate for any expenses Naruto's gang creates throughout the journey.

**(2)**

For this next chapitre, I thought I would leave it up to the readers. I explained in brief the three choices Naruto has. So, with your next review, send me your vote for which path Naruto will choose. Please let me know. **  
**

**KPAAF**


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